cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/2843304
So, I’m pretty much a layman when it comes to modding, game development, coding, etc. With that said, am I correct in thinking that creating a small to midsized mod for a game like Stellaris is a much smaller/easier undertaking than even a simple indie game?
If I want to get started in that direction, creating a small (functional) Stellaris mod might be a good idea?
Is making a mod for a game like Stellaris easier than making a game?
It depends on the scope of the mod and game relatively (and what engine you would be using for the game), but I would say generally yes assuming you are working on a game that has a good framework for mods already. Stellaris definitely does, and you can absolutely find tutorials that will help you with that process.
It depends a bit on what you are setting out to do and your own skillset. Is it just going to change things under the hood, are you adding assets? If you are adding assets, can you do the art or do you have someone else you are talking to for that.
Those are questions you’d have to answer for making a game too of course, but generally you can expect a mod to be a smaller scale.
The advantage of making your own game is you would be a lot less beholden to the rules of the game in realising the vision you have. As an example if you want to make a really indepth ground combat system, that would be a very hard thing to implement into Stellaris because it just doesn’t do much to model that layer.